The Big Reveal
"The Big Reveal" is the fifth chapter of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's manga Platinum End. Summary Having arrived at Jinbo Stadium, Mirai and Saki find seats in the stands where they will have a clear view of the field. As they sit, Mirai observes three other angels hovering above the stadium. Saki reminds him not to stare at them, but Mirai assures her he is watching the helicopters circling the stadium, not the angels. The two also notice a number of drones flying above the stadium, broadcasting the spectacle, but assure themselves that they will blend in with the crowd. Back at Saki's house, Nasse and Revel watch the live broadcast of the stadium. As police officers take up positions around the stadium, Metropoliman suddenly appears in the center of the stadium. Spectators have little time to marvel, however, as two newcomers disguised as TV superheroes "Metroblue" and "Metroyellow" suddenly burst from audience. From his seat, Mirai observes the costumed pair both possess wings and red arrows. As Mirai watches, Metroblue prepares to pierce Metropoliman with his red arrow. From Saki's house, Nasse wonders why Metropoliman does not react to Metroblue's attack, and Revel observes that he doesn't possess any wings. As Nasse watches through the TV, Metroblue tries to shoot Metropoliman with his arrow, but the arrow holds no effect. Revel explains to a surprised Nasse that this is due to the fact that the Metropoliman in the stadium is a fake who is already under the influence of a red arrow. Metroblue and Metroyellow conclude that they are facing an imposter under the control of the real Metropoliman, and that he was dropped into the stadium by the real Metropoliman. The imposter attempts to claim that he is the real Metropoliman, but Metroblue takes the microphone he is using to address the stadium, and demands that the real Metropoliman show himself. As Metroblue and Metroyellow survey the crowd, they quietly agree that neither of them want to live in a world where Metropoliman is God. Metroblue, Hatake, recalls when he first met Metroyellow, Tabuchi. Having both flunked the entrance exams to their college of choice, the two had decided to commit suicide together, but were stopped by the appearance of two angels, who chose them as god candidates. Faced with a new reason to live, the two men both promised to make the other happy if either became God. Positioning themselves back to back, Hatake and Tabuchi continue to demand that Metropoliman show himself. Hatake points out that Metropoliman cannot use his arrows while flying at high speed with his wings, which is why he planned to use a decoy to draw in other god candidates, at which point he would shoot them with his arrows from behind. However, now that Hatake and Tabuchi are back to back, he won't be able to sneak up on them, and has lost his advantage. He also reveals his knowledge that Metropoliman can't shoot two people at once, and that it will take two seconds for him to shoot both Hatake and Tabuchi, and that the angel's arrow can only be fired a maximum distance of 31.6 meters, meaning that Metropoliman won't be able to hide among the crowd in the stands. At this moment, Metropoliman appears on the stadium's jumbotron. Addressing Hatake and Tabuchi, he admits that the figure in the stadium is a fake who has been shot with the red arrow, but reveals that he can actually shoot a red arrow and a white arrow within 0.3 seconds of each other. However, he admits that he won't be able to find an opening to shoot them while they are back to back, and ends his live address with them. Deciding that Metropoliman won't be appearing in person, Hatake and Tabuchi decide to take his decoy with them, so they can interrogate him after the angel's arrow has lost its effect, but they are stopped by the appearance of a young god candidate. The girl begs Hatake and Tabuchi to take her with them, and they agree on the condition that they can shoot her with their red arrows. However, before they can take her, Metropoliman appears behind her and shoots her with his red arrow before disappearing with her. Reappearing on the jumbotron with the young girl, Metropoliman expresses his disappointment in Hatake and Tabuchi's performances, and demands that they flee before he kills them. Desperate, Hatake turns to the audience and asks that any other god candidates join him and Tabuchi. To their surprise, two figures disguised as "Metropink" and "Metrogreen" emerge from the crowd and offer to go with them. After Hatake successfully pierces the two newcomers with his arrow while Tabuchi guards him, the two return to the center of the stadium with their new allies. They ask the two newcomers to show them their angel's arrows, but are interrupted when Metropoliman reappears on the jumbotron, and announces that he is not Metropoliman. Before Hatake and Tabuchi can react, the Metropoliman in the center of the field uses his white arrow to kill Hatake, and shoots Tabuchi with his red arrow. Metropoliman explains to a bewildered Tabuchi that he switched places with his decoy while he and Hatake were busy shooting Metropink and Metrogreen, who he had payed to go along with his plan. As Mirai and Saki watch in horror, Tabuchi swears his allegiance to Metropoliman, and Metropoliman invites Chi to return to the stadium so they can begin the second stage of his plan. Characters by Appearance Deaths *Shogo Hatakeyama See also References